Date: 4th October 2026
Venue: Femina Hotel, Trichy
Time: 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Consumer Federation, organised a District Road Safety Conference bringing together Trichy’s Parliamentary Representative, relevant stakeholders from Trichy’s Commissionerate of Police, Traffic, Regional Transport Office, educators in healthcare, media, consumer protection and civil society organizations to highlight the need for a comprehensive State Road Safety Action Plan. The Conference took place on the 4th of October at Femina Hotel, Trichy.
The event was organised against the backdrop of India’s rising road fatalities, which according to the latest report by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), ‘Road Accidents in India 2024’, has increased by 2.5% between 2023 and 2024. This has been a constant upward trend since 2005, driven by expanding road networks and faster vehicles. Tamil Nadu has recorded the highest number of road crashes (67,526 in 2024) in India for seven consecutive years in 2024, with Trichy District alone accounting for 2426 road crashes and 720 road crash fatalities in the year 2023.
Though Tamil Nadu was an early adopter of a Road Safety Policy in 2007 (even ahead of the National Road Safety Policy in 2010), an updated and structured State Road Safety Action Plan is critical to achieving the national goal of reducing road crash deaths by 50% by 2030, as part of the UN (Second Decade of Action for Road Safety Declaration) of which India is a signatory.
Nina Subramani, (Senior Researcher at CAG) presenting on the need for a State Road Safety Action Plan in Trichy
The welcome address of the Conference was provided by Mr. Shivashankar from Tamil Nadu Consumer Federation. Following this, Kavipriya (Researcher, CAG) explained the current road safety scenario in India, Tamil Nadu and Trichy specifically. Ms. Nina Subramani (Senior Researcher) from CAG presented the need for a State Road Safety Action Plan which would serve as a strong institutional framework to make road safety a reality. She emphasised that speed guidelines must be urgently implemented as speeding is the primary cause of crashes and fatalities on the roads.
Honourable Member of Parliament Mr. Durai Vaiko delivered the Special Address, in which he spoke in detail about the status of all the on-going road work in Trichy and his role in it. As a Member of Parliament representing Trichy Constituency, he promised to take the need for road safety along with the State Road Safety Action Plan that is required to make road safety a reality, to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu as well the Parliament.
Honourable Member of Parliament, Mr. Durai Vaiko speaking about the state of road safety in Trichy
“As a representative of the people, I will make sure that I take the threat of road safety and the road safety action plan to the Chief Minister and the relevant authorities” he said.
Dr. Suresh Dharmaraj from the Government Hospital, WB Road, who has worked in Government stabilisation centres (one of the 14 present in Chennai that stabilise crash victims before mobilising them), spoke about helmet and seatbelt compliance, and proposed an individual crash tracker that allows for accountability of people that are responsible for repeated crashes.
Adopting a safe systems approach, making data-driven decisions, and setting achievable targets as essential aspects of a Road Safety Action Plan was acknowledged by all speakers. The thank you note was provided by Mr. Ayyarappan from Road User Welfare Committee, Trichy.
Participants at the District Road Safety Conference - Trichy in rapt attention
The event brought together representatives from key government departments, enforcement agencies, the health and education sectors, transport authorities, civil society organisations, resident welfare associations and members of the general public.
The discussion reinforced that preventing road crashes requires coordinated action across sectors and sustained commitment at the district level. Designing and implementing a State Road Safety Action Plan will provide a roadmap for evidence-based interventions, stronger institutional coordination, and measurable targets. This overarching plan would also enable Trichy to make meaningful progress towards safer roads and contribute to Tamil Nadu's and India's road safety goals.